Scaling Bitcoin started as an initiative to discuss the best ways bitcoin might be improved through technical means. The bitcoin community is made up of developers and users alike, and the developers have uncovered some serious topics for debate regarding the future of the cryptocurrency. The Scaling Bitcoin event first started in 2015 with two conferences in Hong Kong and Montreal, and a third event will be held in Italy near the end of 2016.

Organizers for Scaling Bitcoin recently announced the third conference will take place between October 8th and 9th of 2016 in Milan, Italy. The decision to host a third conference comes in the wake of the success of the first two meetings. The third event will focus on the problems that miners experience as the system evolves.

The bitcoin network is much more structured than a lot of people might realize. Developers and miners are two of the network’s biggest contributors, yet they are also at odds with each other over several scaling issues that might tip in the favor of one or the other. Other sects include exchanges and vendors who use bitcoin as a currency for their businesses. It has been rumored that several of these groups will be meeting before the third Scaling Bitcoin event in order to further discuss how they might go about improving the network’s ability to handle transactions.

While there are few details about the conference so far, it will most likely follow the same format as the first two conferences. The first conference was meant as a way for developers to discuss the problems with the network, and the areas that need the most improvement. The first event was meant to be a catalyst for the work that was needed for the second conference. The purpose of the second conference was to take what was learned in the first conference and use it to create actual proposals for ways to improve the system.

It is presumable that the third event will involve deciding which measures presented at the second conference will be implemented and how it will be done. During the time between the first two events, developers, miners, and every other group was invited to use their knowledge to build realized solutions, and the second event functioned as a sort of debate over the various solutions. No decisions were reached at the second conference, which means there is still work to be done.

There are several areas of improvement which may be implemented by the time these conferences are at an end. The main goal is to increase the transaction capacity of the network, and thereby improve the throughput of miners. They will also discuss security and privacy concerns that arise from the pseudonymous nature of the bitcoin network address system. Fee structures and incentives may also be discussed as they relate to increasing efficiency. Many people have issues with the current block size being used, so there may be proposals to increase it. Of course, there will be talks about how miners will be affected by any changes to the system.

These conferences are a necessary evil when it comes to cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. Since the network is completely decentralized, there are no controlling entities to enact new protocols or issue updates. They must come from the unanimous decision of the user base, which means all developers who want a say in the future of the system must discuss their ideas in an open forum that is organized and decisive.